Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who won the Presidency in May this year, by promising law and order, and economic development, has demanded up front compensation to meet Paris Climate Commitments – otherwise his country will focus on increasing coal generation capacity, to facilitate continued economic progress.
He said he was angry with that ambassador and “wanted to kick him” when the diplomat asked him if the Philippines could maintain its carbon emissions.
“I said, ‘No. I cannot tell… You don’t do it that way, Mr. Ambassador. (Your country) had reached the apex (of industrialization) and along the way put a lot of contaminants and emission and went ahead in destroying the climate,’” the President said.
“We have not reached the age of industrialization. We’re now going into it. But you are trying stymie (our growth) with an agreement that says you can only go up to here,” he continued.
“That’s stupid. I will not honour that,” he added.
When the ambassador told him that the Philippines was a signatory to the agreement, Mr. Duterte said he replied: “That was not my signature. It’s not mine.”
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/796858/duterte-says-no-to-climate-pact-compliance
Former(?) Philippine Climate Commissioner Lucille Sering was quick to defend the President, claiming the question which triggered the outburst was “improper”.
MANILA — President Duterte’s statement on his refusal to honor the Paris Agreement on climate change could have been a reaction to an improper question from an ambassador, according to
Sering, who expressed hope the Philippines would not pull out of the Paris agreement, said Mr. Duterte might have been irked when the ambassador— still unnamed— asked him about the Philippines maintaining a certain level of carbon emissions, as that amounted to an imposition.
“In a diplomatic perspective, you don’t ask that question because that’s an imposition on us. It’s a diplomatic faux pas to even ask that question,” Sering said in a phone interview.
The Philippines’ commitment to reducing carbon emissions was conditioned on support from the international community, she said.
“What we said was we can’t reduce unless we’re supported,” she said.
“In short, if you don’t give us any support, we will continue our sustainable development, our economic development that may rely still on dirty but cheap [energy]. But if you want us to use clean, make those energy sources cheaper,” she added.
The Filipinos I know are strong willed and proud. Nobody pushes them around.
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Nice little planet ya got here. Pity if something were to happen to it.
It wasn’t so nice for people when they sat in cold caves and had to throw sticks and rocks to get something to eat. Are you implying that people are going to cause something bad to happen to the planet buy burning things?
1. Get a sense of humour. They’re selling for $50 a piece on e-bay.
2. Cool off that hair-trigger sensitivity.
your comment and your reply- moar please!
wry humor just takes a brain to appreciate – but it’s also useful for distinguishing those who lack one.
and being dense is not sufficient punishment. they should be made to squirm so they are at least entertaining.
moar risque & wry!
Like a third of the land being covered in ice?
Let’s review those exoplanets again shall we.
United States forests to grow 30-50% less due to global warming ( ? ! )
http://cdn.phys.org/newman/gfx/news/hires/2016/5-northamerica.jpg
The most dramatic changes in projected forest growth rates were found in the interior West of the North American continent, with up to 75 percent slower growth projected for trees in the southwestern U.S., along the Rockies, through interior Canada and Alaska. Increases in growth were seen only along certain coastal areas, mostly in the Pacific Northwest, Northeastern Quebec and the Maritime Provinces and the Florida panhandle.
Another computer simulation or reality?
http://phys.org/news/2016-07-north-american-forests-climate.html
More wack a mole. Climate models have no regional skill, so can say nothing about temperature and rainfall as indicated on this map. Nasa just published 29 years of Landsat on July 2 showing that Alaska forests are greening, contrary to the PR you linked. That study was also noted at phys.org. Tipping point in 2050–typical unverifiable alarm.
Scientists at the University of Arizona in Tucson, combined climate projections for North America developed by the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) with historic tree-ring records – in short
“Scientists combined climate projections developed by the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) with historic tree-ring records . ”
That reminds on something. SOP.
Their “science” works like this.
If you believe in evil carbon then terrible things will happen. You project what those terrible things will be and call it “data”. Then that “data” you plug into your computer model. You call the terrifying results “science”.
Fantasy in, fantasy out. That’s how climate science is done.
Eugene WR Gallun
I guess the tree-rings will show cooling when they grow less due to global warming.
Curious. My forestry friends tell me forest growth rates have been increasing and silvaculturists are developing more and more fast growing strains. Problem with that is, for structural timber, you want stronger, slower growing wood but with modern technology, is less and less an issue.
Can somebody organize a betting pool for the ambassador’s identity? I bet 10 thousand Venezuelan bolivars it was the French ambassador.
What’s that in Euros?
About zilch.
The Great Leader {Chavez, ex-paratrooper, which may not be relevant] has pretty much done for Venezuela, and his Mao-minded successor ‘No mas-Nicholas’, will be left to tamp down the grave.
If ther is a spade left in the country . . . .
Such a pity – lovely people, although I haven’t been there since about 2007.
Auto
Duterte seems to be operating on pragmatism, and delivering real results, not promises. Of course, he is new to office.
But he’s not new to politics….he was the mayor of Davao City for 22 years
This is exactly the way he governed then.
…and it’s exactly why he was elected president
Funny how so many “believe” in “climate change”, as long as they either don’t have to pay for it or stand to gain from it.
I like the people of the Philippines. I worked with a lot of them in Vietnam. They are good people, and natural allies of the U.S.
The Philippines would be crazy to hamper their economic development based on CAGW. The contribution of the Philippines to atmospheric CO2 must be miniscule. So there is no hurry for them to do anything, even if they actually believed in CAGW.
https://news.mongabay.com/2015/10/broken-promises-communities-on-philippine-island-take-on-palm-oil-company/
mean green land stealing machine. courtesy gov’t of the phillipines.
I like this guy Duterte. He’s right to not honor the Paris Climate Commitments. The developed nations should refuse to pay the Philippines’ way on this agreement and Duterte should follow through on using whatever energy source is both cheapest and strategically accessible for a resource-restricted country.
My wife comes from a remote island in the Philippines where people are quite poor, and we were appalled to see Duterte’s predecessor outlaw incandescent light bulbs in favor of the energy-efficient LED bulbs that cost a great deal more. This simple act meant that poor people would not be able to afford light at night. Now, I’ve got to admit, I haven’t followed through and found whether that was repealed, whether there is some government assistance to afford LED bulbs, etc…, to mitigate the impact on the poor. Regardless, it imposed a burden on a relatively poor nation for no reason.
The President of the Philippines need to watch this man like a hawk.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-caffyn-19099721
http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/23/3941508-who-are-these-guys-cape-wind-emi-upc-first-wind-ivpc
Mmm… organized crime –
@POP
In this case, it goes a lit deeper than that. I also have a LOT of extra material in the comments…
http://dailybail.com/home/the-mafia-is-moving-into-green-energy.html?currentPage=2
http://dailybail.com/home/john-kerry-comes-out-swinging-on-climate-change.html
http://dailybail.com/home/hillary-clintons-climate-plan-cronyism-gone-wild.html
“The Filipinos I know are strong willed and proud. Nobody pushes them around.”
First, what does that have to do with a binding, legal agreement signed by his country? Or are you saying that any incoming leader of a country is free to ignore any treaties and agreements signed by his/her predecessors in office if they don’t agree with them?
Second, the Philippines are being pushed around right now by China in the South China Sea. Filipinos are wonderful people, but their country is very weak militarily.
There is no “binding, legal agreement” in force (ha-ha) at his time.
at this time
It becomes binding once a threshhold is reached, either 55 or 60%. Then it becomes binding.
I hate to break it to you but no country will follow through on this. No western people would ever put up with the reality of much of the Philippines outside of the Manila area. Daily blackouts due to lack of power.
Which begs the question, why do white westerners demand the Philippines stay down?
Final note. Having moved here a few months ago, I must say how refreshing it is to live under a President who actually loves his country.
” No western people would ever put up with the reality of much of the Philippines outside of the Manila area. Daily blackouts due to lack of power.”
The blackouts have nothing to do with green lobbying, they are caused by government bureaucracy, as well as unfriendly terms for foreign investors. The Philippines has lagged behind the rest of ASEAN in FDI and economic progress for 30 years.
“Which begs the question, why do white westerners demand the Philippines stay down?”
Why are you turning this into something racial? Poland, which is predominately white, is being asked to reduce its coal use and move to less CO2 producing sources of power. And in any case, as I noted above, the issue is not white westerners. Unlike you, I have lived in SE Asia for 20 years, and have been traveling to and working with companies in the Philippines since the late 1990s. The Philippines’ economic problems are primarily self inflicted.
“Having moved here a few months ago, I must say how refreshing it is to live under a President who actually loves his country.”
Welcome to extrajudicial killings. Even my Filipino friends are deeply concerned about this.
More “refreshing” news: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/797704/suddenly-they-were-pushers Being a strong leader is one thing, encouraging pure vigilantism is something entirely different.
Why is it racial? Because I see a never ending parade of white people flying their private jets into places like the Philippines and India, demanding they stay down.
The blackouts do have much to do with green lobbying (as well as the foreign ownership rules Duterte promises to do away with). I once read an article about how the people of a remote island were protesting against the building of a power plant that would finally bring them into the 20th century. In a place where no English is spoken, the people somehow came up with perfectly manufactured signs, in English. It was only towards the end of the article we met the organizers of the protest. Two very white, very rich European students who arrived on a yacht.
There is very much an element of keeping of “those people” in their place.
About the Filipino people and Duterte? His trust rating (think approval rating in the US) is 92-0.2, with 8% undecided. Your friends may have a problem with him, but the overwhelming majority are embracing him.
I see, so your evidence is a couple anecdotes (not supported by links) about rich white people coming to the Philippines to hold them down. Let’s see what the conservative, not friendly to green energy Wall Street Journal says on this matter: http://www.wsj.com/articles/philippines-power-crisis-the-battle-to-keep-the-lights-on-1410989402 Gee, that’s odd, no mention whatsoever of green protests or lobbying as being a primary factor in the power shortage.
Sorry Chris, It’s non-binding now and will be non-binding for ever after.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/19/paris-climate-agreement-un-pushes-fast-track-ratif/
I have commented above it also depends if the Philippines government has ratified the process, the President can sign a treaty but he can not ratify it that requires a formal process in parliament much like USA.
Duarte should just ask for the same deal that China got – do nothing till 2030, then “think about it.”
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Sending money to countries for the purpose of combating climate change is a risky business. How do you know they are going to use it “wisely?” Sometime in the early 80s the IMF or World Bank sent a major boatload of concrete to Laos so they could build a modern airport in Vientiane, the capital, thus spurring economic growth. Instead they used it to build this:
marko
But it’s rather pleasant. Not beautiful.
But not bad.
Auto
Auto,
Yes, in a heavy handed soviet sort of way. All of the grand buildings in Vientiane belong to the communist government, while the people go across the Mekong to shop in Thailand where there are actually things to buy.
And yes, I know it is Duterte. If I was him (fat chance), I’d say, “Dudes – you want me to do something about climate change? Send me some damn nukes!” Oh…oh…oh… but we didn’t mean THAT. It might be effective. DIdn’t you read the Paris agreement? We all pledged to do nothing effective about climate change and giving you nukes would violate our principles. Can’t we just ship you some bales of money so you can build a new seaside villa and buy a bigger jet?
Much as I like him walking away, screw the Philippines. They had a Cat 4 typhoon hit them. Well if you don’t like typhoons, don’t live on the equator! We had the spectacle of their climate loon literally crying! Blaming CAGW, DEMANDING Da Climate Justice!
Now they’re not a country well suited to a national grid, and actually do use a bit of unconventional power because on a small island it makes some sense to have in situ generation. They wanted us to pay; they wanted a legally binding treaty to FORCE the same transfer of wealth from developed countries to emerging markets that always follows the corrupt UN activities. “We want Uganda’s deal” they said – unlimited carbon credits. And Du-irty Harry is just doing the usual.
No doubt our dear friends at George Mason University and the U.S. States Attorneys Generals with beloved Al Gore have a hind in the money pocket of our Philippines Dictator And Chief.
Ha ha
So I checked the UN website and there are actually only 17 Countries that have ratified the Paris agreement and they are correctly listed on the wiki entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Agreement
So 177 signatures are on the agreement but only 17 ratifications as of today.
Philippines has not ratified the agreement as it hasn’t passed thru their system, so the President can indeed just revoke the agreement as he has that power as the head of state.
Looking at local Philippines papers it does appear indeed that Drilon is indeed going to just block the ratifying process in the senate which is entirely legal and would be the same as a block on a treaty in USA
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/797059/drilon-senate-wont-ratify-paris-climate-pact
He obviously controls the senate via his party.
So we need to get off the illegal idea he is not seeking to break a ratified agreement he is threatening to not allow the agreement to be ratified under Philippines law which is entirely legal and would have no impact on their international standing.
Duterte is right in junking the Paris agreement. Philippines accounts for 0.2% of world energy consumption. Its contribution to global warming is an order of magnitude smaller than the statistical error in global temperature anomaly. If a giant asteroid hit Philippines and obliterated it from the face of the Earth, the global temperature anomaly would not even notice the country is gone
The “Paris Agreement” binds no one country to anything.; now or in the future. There are no penalties; there are no enforcement provisions. It is nothing but a statement of goals; a political document of intentions. I’m surprised many commenters here don’t seem to understand what the “Agreement” actually represents.